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Riesstiu IV the Second
Emperor Khaldeesh Riesstiu IV the Second, also known as Riesstiu the Mad, was the last Emperor of the Taiidan Empire (406 BHL-0 AHL) and certainly one of its most infamous. Throughout his reign Riesstiu seized more and more power, all the while orchestrating disastrous policies that would ruin what was left of the corrupt and declining Empire. Most notorious of these acts was the Kharakian Genocide for which he is most blamed. Biography Riesstiu was born in a cloning facility several centuries BHL. He was a genetic copy of the Emperor Riesstiu IV, the previous Emperor who had recently died. His predecessor had been paranoid and had, out of fear of assassination, massacred what remained of the Imperial Line and initiated the Clone Doctrine by which it was determined that the Emperor, upon death, would be cloned and succeeded by his genetic replica. Yet Riesstiu would prove to not be a perfect replica of his "father." While his father was certainly not a wise or powerful ruler Riesstiu's policies would betray outright insanity and depravity, making him a deeply hated figure amongst both reformers and conservatives and feared by all for his murderous rages. Early Reign According to the Encyclopedia Hiigara it could not be said, accurately at least, that Riesstiu IV the Second had a childhood. He was, upon birth, an adult biologically as he was intended to immediately succeed the dead Riesstiu IV. Riesstiu was immediately thrust into state affairs, educated only with the memories of the man he was cloned from. Riesstiu was intended, like his "father" to be a puppet of the Assembly of Lords, which had grown weary of strong, populist emperors like Riesstiu III. However, whilst the Assembly had experienced some difficulty controlling Riesstiu IV due to his paranoid Riesstiu IV the Second was outright untameable. Faulty cloning machines had produced a man that was, in mind and body, as old as the Emperor that had preceded him. As a result Riesstiu was, from the start, a mental and physical cripple. Wildly unpredicteable, deranged, and paranoid the new Emperor quickly proved he would be no puppet and, upon learning of a minor plot against him, took control from the Assembly forcibly, ordering the execution of senators he saw as unloyal or treacherous. Riesstiu was well known in the court gossip for several eccentrities as well. Riesstiu took to his chambers young men and women, some said together at once. Imperial doctors recounted stories of how he habitually cut himself, leaving his body badly scarred. The Emperor's modd swung erratically and while he may favor an official one day, the next he might turn against them and have them pubicly executed, often in a gruesome fashion. More and more rumors spread of the Emperor's many horrors until even his hand-picked Assembly ordered him confined to a life support chamber, long before he even needed one. From that point on he would usually only emerge for official events, often closely watched by security guards. Yet even trapped inside his life support system Riesstiu the Mad wielded enormous power and gathered loyal counselors, who often thought they could manipulate the insane emperor but in the end, became his own pawns. Furthermore, there is evidence that extensive time in the life support system gave him limited telepathic abilities, although none on the scale of an unbound. It is perhaps through this that he managed to continue ruling, even while those around him did everything they could to separate him from power. The Beginnings of Rebellion Still, even for one who had near total control over his Empire there were still those brave enough to challenge the Emperor. Pro-Senate factions were now joined by populists, inspired by the writings of Iolon II and his philosophy of a popular and just rule. Although normally in opposition to one another the tyrannical rule of Riesstiu the Mad united the causes of these rebellious factions who now began to organize a coordinated rebellion. Unfortunately for the Empire, Riesstiu's policies only made it easier for the rebellion to gather supporters. In 12 BHL the Empire placed a heavy tax on all trade moving through the city world of Triistara. This cut deeply into the local economy and planetwide protests were heard in opposition to the Empire's new tax. The rebels seized this chance and escalated the situation, inciting violent riots which reached the point of merchants opening fire on military installations planetwide. The rebellion hoped that the Assembly of Lords, which was split secretly between pro-Rebel and pro-Imperial factions, would act too slowly to prevent a revolution from occuring on Triistara. The rebels had, however, underestimated the power Riesstiu still wielded. While the Assembly debated over the issue the Emperor deployed into action three fleets with orders to crush the rebellion by any means necessary. The following event would be known as the Triistara Massacre during which the Imperial Fleet would pummel the Triistaran populace into obedience, killing at least two million. All across the Empire there was outrage, outrage against the Emperor who had, without hestiation, ordered the deaths of millions of his own people. Those who had come to believe that the tales of the Emperor's excesses were exaggerations or lies now believed the Emperor to be capable of such things. The only difference of opinion now was whether he was justified or not. The Assembly itself was split on the issue and some members opted for outright rebellion. Predictabely these insinuations of rebellion resulted in Riesstiu taking drastic actions, beginning yet another witch-hunt for traitors. Within a few months the rebellion seemed all but crushed. Last Years Riesstiu however failed to realize the longterm consequences of his policies. While the rebellion would be silenced for a dozen years he had turned the people of the Empire against him, as well as a fair portion of the Assembly. The rebels returned to carrying out their plans in secrecy, waiting for another and better chance to strike. The Bentusi also reacted negatively to the Emperor's excesses and suspended all trade contact with the Empire in 7 BHL. The incidents even wore down the Emperor himself and his sanity was completely broken at last. What remained of the Assembly did its best to ignore him, hoping he would not on a whim to decide to kill them. This situation would remain in stasis for several more years until one event that would push the entire galaxy into war. In 1 BHL disaster struck and an Outer Rim listening post detected a hyperspace jump within the Kharak system, a backwater system nominally considered a part of the Empire but that was functionally independent, its inhabitants not even aware of the Empire's nearby presence. Were it any other system on the edge of Imperial space it would have been a trivial issue. However, the Kharak system was the official relocation site of the Kushan Exiles, who had been ordered deported three millennia before and forbidden in a treaty long-forgotten to all but historians and men of law to redevelop hyperspace travel. Their return had long been the subject of myth and legend and it was normally associated with the collapse of the Empire. As a result Riesstiu panicked and in an ironic turn of events contributed to the most notable instance of self-fulfilling prophecy in galactic history. Riesstiu's orders were to wipe out the Kushan race and prevent them from leaving the Kharak system. The local Imperial garrison as well as a Turanic fleet stepped up to the task and together nearly wiped out the Kushan species, burning the surface of Kharak. Shortly after the Emperor's propoganda ministers broadcast the images of the genocide to Imperial citizens galaxy-wide, aiming to increase awe of the Emperor's power by demonstrating the Empire's ability to wipe out an entire civilization without even draining the Imperial economy. Yet the broadcast had the opposite effect, turning the Emperor's people completely against him. To many it was a confirmation of how souless the Empireh had become. Here were a people who had done nothing to incite the Empire's wrath but violate a long-forgotten agreement. Yet the Imperial Fleet had blindly obeyed the Emperor's orders and massacred hundreds of millions. It was not simply a matter of replacing the Emperor. Now, people were convinced there was something wrong with the Empire itself. The Rebellion had begun. The Homeworld War Rebellion spread like wildfire throughout the Empire. Those who had secretly supported it not openly declared their allegiance to this new Taiidan Rebellion. Yet the Rebels had underestimated how prepared for an insurrection the mad Emperor and his ministers were. The Emperor executed martial law across all the worlds of the Empire and deployed military troops as police forces throughout the Empire. Official edicts declared that no act in defense of Riesstiu and His Throne would be judged in civilian courts. Massacres followed. As more and more military units defected to the Rebellion twice as many committed acts of brutal savagery. Dukes and Governors unable or unwilling to massacre protestors en masse were killed and those that would follow the Emperor's orders were promoted to take their position. Rebellious colonies were destroyed, often brutally. Asteroid cities were cut off from life support by Imperial guns, the inhabitants' deaths by asphyxiaton recorded and broadcast as an example. Furthermore, the Imperial Fleet was not lacking in military talent. Although many brilliant commanders were on the side of the Rebels the Empire had a near monopoly on tactical genius. This was best demonstrated at the Battle of Vorshan's Rift during which the Imperial Fleet decimated a Rebel task force. This was seen by many as a last blow to the rebellion and confirmation of an inevitable victory for the Empire. Yet things were not all as they seemed. The Rancor, the Turanic flagship dispatched to the Kharak system to take part in the genocie, had failed to wipe out the Mothership, a Kushan colony ship aimed for Hiigara, the Imperial capital and the Kushan's ancestral homeworld. In addition to the rebellion Riesstiu had focused a great deal of attention on eliminating the survivors of Kharak after they reemerged and destroyed the Taiidan garrison charged with destroying them. Yet the Kushan had eluded his search for them, travelling through the Great Nebula which was, due to the presence of the Kadeshi, unguarded by the Imperial Fleet. Then, after several victories against the Empire, the Emperor recieved word that the Kushan had now officially allied with the Taiidan. It was the deepest insult possible to Riesstiu and what little remained of his dignity and he was enraged. Determined to put an end to the Exiles the Emperor took personal control of the Imperial Fleet, surprising many. This was perhaps one of his worse decisions, as it was undoubtedly in part his lack of tactical genius that led to the disastrous defeat that was the Second Battle of Hiigara. There, above the world of Hiigara the Emperor and his Elite Guard made their last stand against the rebels and the Kushan and Riesstiu IV the Second finally met his end. Riesstiu IV the Second had, continued the Clone Doctrine of his predecessor and would have been succeeded by a clone. However, rebel agents on Hiigara discovered the conditions above and destroyed the Imperial Gene Bank, thereby preventing the Emperor from being cloned. The Imperial Line had (officially) come to an end. Legacy Riesstiu IV the Second's legacy was an immense one. His reign would give great credence to the causes of the Kushan and the new Taiidan Republic in years to come and be a focus for anti-Imperialist feelings. He was posthumously deemed a war criminal and seen by many as the worst emperor of the Taiidan Empire. Even the remnants of the Empire, referred to as the Taiidan Imperialist Faction, for the most part despised this Emperor whom they blamed for the death of their Empire. Powers and Abilities Although Riesstiu IV is rarely in fanon sources given credit for telepathic abilities Riesstiu exibits perhaps the most explicit demonstration of psychic abilities in Homeworld canon (with the exception of Makaan). He does, for example, communicate directly with Karan S'jet from across the breadth of space during the pre-mission cinematic for the last mission of the Homeworld campaign. Shortly after Karan is disabled and the Mothership Fleet uncoordinated. These two events have led some to believe that Riesstiu is, in fact, telepathic and possibly even telekenetic. This is debated somewhat amongst fans, particularly in the light that in newer canon it is suggested that telepathy is connected with far jump hyperspace cores, something that the Taiidan do not have possession of. Still, the idea of the Emperor being a limited telepath has come up in the past. In Homeworld: Legacies for example Karan refers to the incident in which she was rendered helpless as a "mindblast," something effectually defined as telepathic rape. This is perhaps the most notable instance of Riesstiu being referred to as a telepath. Behind the Scenes It is likely that Riesstiu is inspired by several other fictional emperors of Space opera, most notably perhaps Emperor Palpatine of Star Wars. Both are aged, exhibit abnormal powers, and are reputably pure evil. On the other hand, it is also likely that Riesstiu is inspired by the galactic emperors of Warhammer 40,000 who live for centuries over an ancient and galactic-spanning empire. It is also possible that the emperors of Dune and Foundation played a role in influencing Riesstiu's design as both universes contain corrupt galactic empires on the brink of collapse, ruled over by ruthless or weak emperors. Nomenclature In Homeworld the villainous Taiidan Emperor is left unnamed and serves the purpose of the Empire's evils and corruption incarnate. In the Homeworld: Cataclysm Manual the Emperor was given the name "Riesstiu IV the Second," the title being "IV the Second" because he is a clone of the first Riesstiu IV. In Relic Entertainment's official backstory section for Homeworld: Cataclysm, however, the Emperor is referred to as Khaldeesh II. It should be noted however that Relic did not, in fact, develop Homeworld: Cataclysm but that Barking Dog Studios did. Therefore, in the eyes of most people, Barking Dog's manual is a more legitimate source, a theory supported by the fact that in the Homeworld 2 backstory the name Riesstiu is again used, this time in reference to the Taiidan admiral who defeated the Kushan during the War of Sajuuk. While these two individuals are not the same person the fact that they share names supports the theory that even Relic no longer recognizes the name "Khaldeesh." In his fictional encyclopedia, the Encyclopedia Hiigara, Ishaar Niirfa proposed that the Emperor's real name was Khaldeesh but that he and his "father," Riesstiu IV, changed their official name from Khaldeesh to their middle name, Riesstiu, in order to emulate the popularity of old Emperors known by the name Riesstiu (most notably Riesstiu I). Therefore, in this fanonical version of the Homeworld universe Riesstiu could be referred to as Riesstiu IV the Second, Khaldeesh III (due to the fact that the Encyclopedia Hiigara makes reference to another emperor named Khaldeesh), or Khaldeesh Riesstiu II. Most fans, however, simply refer to the Emperor as Riesstiu IV. See Also *Riesstiu IV *Taiidan Empire *Kharakian Genocide Sources *''Homeworld'' *''Homeworld: Cataclysm Manual'' *[http://www.relic.com/product/cataclysm/story3.php#imperial End of the Imperial Era, Relic Entertainment's Cataclysm backstory] *''Encyclopedia Hiigara'' (fan fiction) *''Homeworld: Legacies'' Category:Homeworld War Category:Taiidan Emperors Category:Canon characters